Snubbed truck



Feb- 2, l954 E. J. MAATMAN E-rAL 2,667,845

SNUBBED TRUCK l Filed July l1, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l f INVENToRs EGBERTJ. MAATMAN v f u LEO A. LEHRMN BY AT ORNEY Feb. 2, 1954 E. J. MAATMANETAL SNUBBED TRUCK Filed July ll, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet? INVENToRs EGBERTJ. MAATMAN LFO A. LEHRMAN ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2, 1954 SNUBBED TR-UCKEgbert J. Maatman and Leo A. Lehrman, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of New Jersey Application July 11, 1947, Serial No. '760,234

(Cl. MI- 197) 21 Claims. l

This invention relates to railway car trucks and more particularly to anovel snubbed truck comprising means for dampening the oscillations ofthe bolster-supporting springs.

The general object of the invention is to devise a truck of the typedescribed incorporating friction means associated with the bolster andside frame columns for insuring substantially constant frictiontherebetween to thereby control the oscillations of thebolster-supporting spring group during operation of the truck.

A specific object of the invention is to design a railway car truck suchas described wherein friction means comprising a friction shoe and wedgemay be pocketed in each side of the bolster and each wedge may be urgedagainst its associated shoe by a resilient pad compressed between thewedge and the bolster and by a leaf spring housed in the bolster andanchored thereto at one end and flexed against the wedge at its otherend.

Another object of the invention is to utilize a cantilever spring in aneicient manner for actuating the friction means.

A further object of the invention is to design a railway car truck ofthe type described wherein a friction shoe and wedge may -be mounted ina pocket in each side of the bolster, and'each wedge may be actuatedinto wedge engagement with the adjacent shoe and into frictionalengagement with angularly related sides of the associated pocket bymeans of a cantilever spring housed entirely within the bolster andextending longitudinally thereof, each spring projecting at one end intoone of the bolster pockets and bearing at opposite ends against theassociated wedge and the bolster and bearing intermediate its endsagainst an abutment fixed to the bolster.

Another object of the invention is to devise friction means such asdescribed wherein the actuating means therefor comprises a pair ofcooperatively arranged angularly disposed springs housed in the bolsterand each bearing at one end against the friction means and at the otherend against the bolster. Y

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from the specification and the drawings.

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a car truck embodying theinvention, the left half of the structure being shownin section takensubstantially in the vertical plane as indicated by line I-l of Figure2.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1, partlyin section, the section being taken approximately in the horizontalplane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig-ure 1. Cer- -tain portions of thebolster and friction device are broken away to more clearly show thecooperation of the several parts of the device.

Figure 3 is a view taken in the transverse vertical plane substantiallyas indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate one of the wedge members, Figure 4 being a topplan view thereof,Fig ure 5 being a front View thereof, and Figure .6being a side elevation thereof, the view being taken from the inboardside thereof.

Describing the invention in detail, the truck comprises a side frame ofconventional type having tension and compression members 2 and 4 (Figure3) and spaced columns 6, 6 merging therewith to define a bolster opening8 with a widened lower portion fragmentarily shown at l0 (Figure 1) toaccommodate assembly and disassembly of a bolster with said side framein the usual manner, as will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art.

A plurality of springs, diagrammatically indicated at l2, l2 (Figure 3)are seated on the tension member 2 in ya customary manner and affordsupport for Aa. bolster generally designated I4.

The bolster is of box section with the end portion having topv andbottom Walls I6 and I8 merging with spaced side walls and 22, spacedinboard and outboard transverse walls 24 and 26 and a longitudinalcenter rib or wall 28, said top and bottom walls I6 and I8, saidtransverse walls 24 and 26 and said center rib 28 defining a pocket 30in each side of the bolster end, the side walls being cored awayintermediate the walls 24 and 26.

The bolster I4 may have at each side thereof inboard and outboard gibs32 and 34 for interlocking engagement with the adjacent column 6.

A friction shoe and wedge member are disposed in each pocket. 'I'heshoe, generally designated 36, is substantially triangular in section,as well seen in Figure l, and comprises a horizontal surface 38 on thetop thereofin slidable engagement as at 40 with a complementary surface42 (Figurerl) on the top Wall I6 of the bolster, said shoe having aVertical friction face 44 on one side thereof for engagement as at 46with a friction plate 48 mounted on the adjacent side frame column 6 in'any convenient manner, as by welding, and lon the opposite or rear sidethereof the shoe is provided Vwith a wedge surface 50 slightly convexand sloping toward the adja- `side webV of the vassociated Wedge member.tical and lateral expansion of the resilient pad forces against eachother.

' member.

cent column for engagement as at 52 with a, flat, similarly slopingWedge surface 54 on the associated Wedge member, generally designated56.

Each Wedge member 56, one of which is illustrated in detail in Figures4-6, comprises top and bottom Webs 58 and 60, a side web E2 on theoutboard side thereof and a front Web `|34, on the external side ofwhich the beforementioned Wedge surface 54 is formed.

The front web e4 merges into said top, bottom and side Webs and forms apocket 66 therewith for a purpose hereinafter described.

The bottom web 60 of each wedge member has a nat bottom surface 68 in-slidable engagement as at T with a complementary surface '12j (Figurel) on the bottom Wall I8 of the bolster.

Each Wedge member is urged against'its associated friction shoe by aplurality of resilient actuating means, one of which is a rubber blockor resilient pad 14 seated at one side against 1the center rib 28 and atits opposite side bearing "against a spring seat or spring plate 'i6 towhich 'saidpad may be xed as by vulcanizing, said pad urging said springplate into abutment against the inner ends ofthe top and bottom webs andVer- '14 is restricted by its bearing against the top and bottom wallsof the bolster and the transverse walls 24 and 26. A portion of thecenter rib 28 may be cored away to form an opening 8G to position themember 14 and to accommodate flow of said member under compression.v

The configuration of the resilient member 'it and its position Withinthe pocket is Well shown in Figure l. It will be seen that someclearance is afforded around the marginal edges vof the pad 14 toaccommodate distortion of the pad,

and, likewise, the opening 85 affords additional space for such`distortion so that the blocks at opposite sides of thecenter rib mightbear against each other under conditions of `maximum now or distortionof the material and' thus transmit The Yother actuating r-means Vtoactuaba the Wedge member is in thefform of a leaf spring "or cantileverspring 82, 'each spring'V having Vone end received Within the pocket 6cin the associated Wedge member and bearng'as at 84 `igainst acomplemnt'aryat diagonal surface vonthe inner :side `0f the front Web 64of Said YWedge It Will be Observed that thetop lieb of each'wed'geinember terminates short of the inboard side of the wedge memben-and thefront web is relieved as indicated at VSito avoidthin fmetal sectionIdue to the convergence of surfaces 54 and H|34.

Each spring '82 'extends into the bolster through a cored opening 88inthe inboard Wall 24 Vand ffulcrums intermediate its ends as eachspring 82 extends longitudinally of the bolster and passes through theassociated fulcrum member 94and at its inner end extends into a socket Sin an anchor member 98 also formed on the inner side or the Yadjacentside Wall of the bolster in Yinwardly spaced relation with respect tothe adjacent 'fulcrum'memben It will be'observed that the openings 88,88are large enough to accommodate exing 'of 'the springs 82, 82.`

Endwise movement of each spring 82 is 'prevented by the web 62 on theassociated wedge member and a portion |00 on the associated anchormember Q8. Each spring 82, in addition to urging its related wedgemember 56 outwardly of the associated bolster pocket, urges the sameagainst a substantially vertical friction surface on the inboard. sideof the outboard transverse Wall 26 of the bolster, as may be best seenin Figure 2, thus maintaining the wedge member in 4proper alignment withthe associated friction `shoe and preventing the wedge member fromtwisting out of position during operation. It may also be noted thatmovement of the bolster |4 between the columns 'is frictionally resistedby slidable engagement of the wedge members 55 along the substantiallyvertical inboard surfaces of the outboard wall 26.

In assembling my novel friction device with the bolster, the pads 14, 14are inserted into respective bolster pockets and seated against thecenter rib 2S. Thereafter the springs 82, 82 are inserted into the'bolster bypassing the same through openings |02, |62 formed at oppositesides of the centerl rib 28 in the Aoutboard transverse wall 25 of thebolster, through the openings St, 38 in the inboard transverse wall 24of the bolster and throughthe respective'fulcrum members '94, thesprings 82, A82 being 'moved into the bolster until the inner endsthereof enter the sockets 96, 9 8 in the respective anchor members. Asthus assembled with the bolster, the outer ends of the springs 82, 82extend into the vrespective bolster pockets 3|), 30. The associatedwedge members 56, 56 are inserted into the respective bolster pocketsand moved thereinto until the outer end of each spring 82 enters thepocket it in the associated Wedge member. Thereafter the shoes 36, 36are inserted into the respective bolster pockets 30, 30, each shoe beingurged inwardly of its associated. pocketwith lsuicient Y force to lalignan opening |34 extending therey (not shown) through said slots andopening for maintaining the friction unit in" assembly, so'that thebolster Vmay easily be assembled with the side frames after which therods may be removed.

It is to be understood that We do 'not Wish to be limited by the Yexactembodiment ofthe device shown which is merely by Way of Yillustrationand not limitation as various and other Yforms of the device will, ofcourse, be apparent "to those skilled in the art Without departing fromvthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims,

We claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns withfriction faces, a bolster spring-supported between said columns 'withinboard and outboard guide means for 'engagement therewith, pockets ineach side of the Abolster between said guide means opposite said"'fa'ces, each of said pockets being dened by an "inboard and anoutboard web and an intermediate web merging with top and bottom wallsof said bolster, 'a friction 'shoe and wedge ineansin each pocket, saidfriction shoes bearing against said faces respectively and against oneof the 'walls of 'said bolster, horizontally acting resilient meansunder compression between each of said wedge vmeans and saidintermediate web, each of said wedge means having frictional engagement'with the associated shoean'd with the vother wall of said bolster, andlleaf springs -housed within said `bolster and extending longitudinallythereof and operatively associated with respective wedge means forurging the same in cooperation with said resilient means along theassociated wall of said bolster and into said engagement with therespective of said shoes.

2. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns, a bolsterresiliently supported therebetween, a pocket in said bolster adjacenteach column, each of said pockets being dened by an inboard and anoutboard web merging with the top and bottom walls of said bolster, afriction unit in each pocket, each friction unit comprising a shoe, awedge, and actuating means therefor, the shoe slidably engaging theadjacent column and one of said bolster walls and having a diagonal faceat the rear thereof sloping toward the adjacent column, the wedgeslidably engaging the other bolster wall and having a wedge surfacesloping toward the adjacent column and engaging said face, the actuatingmeans comprising a leaf spring and a pad of rubber, the rubber pad beingcompressed between said intermediate web and the associated wedge, theleaf spring extending through said inboard web into the bolster andhaving one end pocketed within the associated wedge and having its otherend anchored to said bolster.

3. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolsterresiliently supported from said frame between said columns and havingtop and bottom walls and spaced side walls merging into said top andbottom walls, pockets in said bolster adjacent said columns and dened byinboard and outboard webs and an intermediate web merging with said topand bottom walls of said bolster, said side walls being cored awayintermediate said inboard and outboard webs, friction means in eachpocket comprising a friction shoe in frictional engagement with said topwall and the adjacent column and a wedge member in wedge engagement withsaid shoe and in frictional engagement with said bottom wall, a fiexibleelement extending through said inboard web and having one end bearingagainst said wedge member and having its other end anchored to theadjacent side wall of said bolster, and fulcrum means on said side wallaffording a fulcrum for said flexible member at a point intermediate theends thereof.

4. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolsterresiliently supported from said frame between said columns and havingtop and bottom walls and spaced side walls merging into said top andbottom walls, pockets I in said bolster adjacent said columns and denedwith the associated shoe and in frictional engagement with said bottomwall, and flexible elements extending through said inboard web i andhaving one end bearing against the adjacent wedge member and having theother end anchored to the adjacent side wall of said bolster.

5. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns presentingfriction walls, a bolster spring-supported between said columns with`pockets opposite said walls, a friction device in each pocketcomprising friction shoe means and ,wedge means and a plurality ofresilient means reacting against said wedge means, said resilient meansincluding a resilient pad under compression between the associated wedgemeans and said bolster and a cantilever spring housed in said bolsterand slidingly bearing at one end against the associated wedge means andanchored at the other end to said bolster, each of said friction shoemeans engaging the adjacent column wall and a surface of said pocket andhaving a diagonalsurface engaging the adjacent wedge means, said wedgemeans slidably engaging other surfaces of said pocket, certain of theresilient means associated with respective wedge means being oriented tourge the same into said engagement with said other surfaces of therelated pocket and all of the resilient means associated with respectivewedge means being oriented to urge the same against the related shoemeans.

6. In a railway car truck, a sideframev-with spaced columns, abox-section bolster resiliently supported between said columns andcomprising spaced top and bottom walls and spaced inboard and outboardwalls defining a pocket in each side of said bolster adjacent respectivecolumns, friction shoe means in each pocket bearing against one of saidErst-mentioned walls and frictionally engaging the adjacent column,wedge means in each pocket in wedge engagement with the associated shoemeans and frictionally engaging the other of said first-mentioned wallsand one of said second-mentioned walls, and spring means operativelyassociated with each of said wedge means and reacting between the sameand said bolster for urging the former into said engagement and againstthe related shoe means.

7. A bolster of box section, spaced guide lugs on each side of saidbolster at each end thereof for cooperation with associated side frameco1- umns, said lugs defining in part pockets recessed in the side wallsof said bolster, each of said pockets comprising inboard and outboardvertical webs aligned with said lugs and an intermediate web mergingwith top and bottom walls of said bolster, openings in said inboard andoutboard webs for accommodating insertion of spring means into saidbolster from the outboard end thereof for actuation of frictionmeansenclosed in said pockets, and a fulcrum member and an anchor member onthe inner side of each of said side walls formed and arranged to afforda fulcrum and anchor for the associatedl of said spring means.

8. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns, a bolstertherebetween resiliently supported from said frame, a pocket in eachside of said bolster adjacent respective columns, friction means in eachpocket comprising a friction shoe and wedge member, said shoe havingfrictional engagement with the adjacent column and a Surface of saidpocket and having Wedge engagement with said wedge member, said wedgemember having frictional engagement with an opposed surface of saidpocket and with a surface of said pocket intermediate said namedsurfaces, and resilient means housed in said bolster and directlybearing against said wedge member along a surface disposed at an obtuseangle with respect to said third-named surface.

9. A wedge member having a front web, a sloping face on the externalside of saidfront web, top and bottom webs and a side web, disposed atone side of said member, said front web merging into said top and bottomwebs `and said side web and dening va pocket therewith for reception ofassociated spring'means, fand `a `flat .diagonal surface on the internaliside of said front web intermediate said top and lbot- .tom webs, saidsurface being disposed Yat an obtuse angle .with-respect to the planelof said Aside web.

10. In a railway car truck, a side frame, a bolster resilientlysupported thereby, frict'ion vshoe .means bearing against a surface ofsaid `bolster and frictionally engaging the frame, wedge means 'incomplementary'wedge Jengagement with said shoe means Aand bearingagainst La 'plurality of fangularly related internal surfaces of saidbolster, and spring means l-reactingfbetween Vthe bolster and wedge'nfieans vfor urging the latter against the related surfaces fandy'against the shoe means, said wedge means land spring means slidinglyengaging lalong surfaces disposed at an angle with respect to one-ofsaid `angularly related internal bolster surfaces.

'11. A railway car truck rcomprising spaced eolumns, a hollowbox-section bolster disposed therebetween, resilient means forsupporting'said bolster from said frame, a leaf `spring extendinglongitudinally of said bolster and housed therewithin, the inner end ofsaid spring bearing Vagainst theY bolster, friction shoe means ybearingagainst the outer end of said spring and fric- 'tiona'lly en'gaging'oneof the columns, and a fulcrum in said bolster bearing against saidspring intermediate its ends.

12. A railway car truck comprising spaced columns, a bolster resilientlysupported therebetween, an elongated resilient member flexibletransversely thereof housed within said bolster "and anchoredtherewithin at a point inboardly of said frame, and friction meanscarried by said member, said member being flexed to urge said frictionmeans against one of said columns.

13. A railway ca-r truck comprising a side iframe with spaced columns, abolster resiliently .supported from said frame between said columns, apair of cantilever springs housed withn 'in 'the bolster and extendinglongitudinally thereof, friction means ,Carried by the, Springs inengagement with respective columns, each of said springs being flexed'between the associated friction means and spaced abutments in thebolster.

14. In a railway car truck, ka side frame havu ing a 'friction face, abolster spring-Supported from the frame and having a pocket adjacentYsaid face, a'friction element in engagement with said face and asurface in said pocket, a single .wedge member within said pocket, andresilient means housed within the bolster and arranged to urge saidwedge member into frictional engagement with a pluralityT of otherangularly related surfaces in said pocket and to move said wedge memberlaterally of the bolster along .said surfacesfagainst said frictionelement.

, 15. In ,a railway car truck, a side frame hav- 'in'g .a friction face,a 'bolster spring-Supported 'from the frame, friction means carried bythe vbolster and engaging said face, and actuating means for saidfriction .means comprising resilient means extending lengthwiselongitudinally of the bolster and reacting against the bolster and saidfriction means transversely of 4said bolster. y

'16.'v In a railway car truck, a side frame having* a friction face, `abolster spring-supported from the frame, a friction surface on thebolster 'facing longitudinally thereof, frictionmeans carried "by: theLbolster vin engagement 'with saidsur- 'face and'said face, anda-single'spring reacting directly between theV bolst'eriand saidfriction means and oriented to simultaneously urge `said friction meanslongitudinally' of the bolster against said surface and transverselyofsaid bolster` against said face. g V1'7. In a railway Vcar truck, avside-frame member, a bolster Vmember resiliently supported 'to exertforces directed diagonally toward'said faceand said surface.

18. In a railway car truck, a side fra-me having a transverse,vsubstantially vertical friction face, a bolster spring-supported fromthe frame, friction means engaging saidv face r'and pocketed within thebolster and in slidable engagement with said bolster along a pluralityof surfaces, one of said surfaces being disposed outboardly of saidfriction means, andspring means within the bolster extending inboardlyof said-friction means and engaging saidy friction means along asubstantially vertical surface angularly arrangedwith respect to saidface and said one bolster surface, and urging said 'friction meansagainst all of lsaid surfaces and laterally outwardly of the bolsteragainst said face.

19. In a railway car truck,I a vside frame, a bolster spring-supportedtherefrom, friction means carried by the bolster and engaging saidsurface, and actuating means for said friction means comprising a springmember reacting ,between said friction means andV said bolster formoving the same, solely laterally outwardly of the bolster against saidsurface, and, resilient means reacting between the friction means ,andthe bolster arranged to urge saidfriction .means longitudinally of thebolster Vinto engagement with a surface thereon and also laterally.outwardly of the bolster, said resilientI means ,being slidable-against said kfriction means longitudinally of the bolster, said,spring Vmemberbeing effective, on movement of the frictionmeansoutwardly laterally of the bolster, to reduce the wear between saidresilient means and said-,fi i c tion means due to the sliding actiontherebetween by aiding in such outward movement yof the friction meansand thus relieving thel ,contact pressure between said resilient meansand frictionv means.

20. In a vehicle, relatively movable members, friction means carried byvone :member in lengagement Vwith the other for yieldinslycontrolline themovements of Sad members, and e plurality of resilient ,means reactingagainst substantially vertical surfaeesof said friction means .and'formed and larranged to cooperatively urge .said friction ,means intosaidengagement, v:cer-

tain of said resilientv meansslidinglyniction- .ally engaging saidfriction mea-neto. frictionally resist Amovement. of said..friction`means :in ia,.di

:rection loading .said certainspring means, and

the other of said springuneans being arranged to urge said frictionmeans in a ydirectionV un- .loading'said certain spring Vmeans toreducethe frictional resistance between said certain :means yand said frictionmeans duriny movement. .of

.the latter ,in 'said .last-.mentioned direction.r

.21. In :a damping mech-anismifor .araiIWay-car truck, a side frameprovided with spaced guide columns, a bolster having an end portionextending between said guide columns, a substantially horizontal topwall and a substantially horizontal bottom wall on the bolster, acentrally `disposed substantially vertical rib arranged longitudinallyof the end portion of said bolster connecting the top and bottom wallsthereof, spring means supported by said frame and supporting the bottomwall of said bolster, an inboard transverse wall at one side of thebolster connecting the top and bottom walls, and outboard transversewall at said side of the bolster connecting the top and bottom walls, aWedge member mounted between the top and bottom walls of the bolster andbetween said transverse walls, a spring carried by the bolster andextending between said rib and the adjacent column, said spring beingstressed against the bolster and wedge member for urging the lattertowards said adjacent column, an inclined surface on the Wedge memberhaving the same slope throughout the space between said transversewalls, a friction shoe having a flat face arranged along said adjacentguide column, a substantially horizontal surface on the friction shoearranged along one of said top and bottom walls substantially throughoutthe space between the inboard and outboard transverse walls, an inclinedsurface on the friction shoe having the same inclination throughout thespace between the transverse walls and engaging the inclined surface ofthe Wedge member,

whereby the spring moves the friction shoe into engagement along saidilat face thereof with said aacent guide column and the reaction set upbetween the inclined surfaces urges the horizontal surface on the shoeinto engagement with said one bolster wall and urges a portion of thewedge member into engagement with the other of said top and bottombolster Walls.

EGBERT J. MAATMAN.

LEO A. LEHRMAN.

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